An Accident of Fate
by umeboshi-girl
Summary: Sasuhina AU fic. I took one comparatively well adjusted Uchiha Sasuke, plopped him into the canon Narutoverse, and threw poor Hinata along for the ride.
1. Back to the Beginning

TITLE: An Accident of Fate

RATING: R

PAIRING: Sasuke/Hinata

WARNINGS: This story will contain sex, violence, bad language, improbable dimension hopping for the sake of my amusement, and lots of jokes at Sasuke's expense. Don't read if any of these things offend you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. Also, this is not beta-ed. You have been warned. ;)

* * *

Sasuke didn't notice her at first. He was too absorbed in his own movements, the swift snap of his arm as he released the kunai. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. All of them hit dead center. That had been, what, his twenty-fifth throw? Sasuke paused to wipe sweat from his forehead and started towards the nearest bullseye to collect his shuriken. The kunai targets were higher and harder to get to. They could wait.

"Are you almost done?"

Tensing, Sasuke turned his head and glimpsed a shy figure at the edge of the clearing. She was the only one that could get past his guard like that, but it never failed to take him by surprise. Once recognition hit, he relaxed and turned to smirk at her. "Hinata. Spying on me again?"

She ducked her head to hide her flushed cheeks behind her hair. "Mikoto-san sent me. Dinner's almost ready."

It was early for that, though. His mother usually didn't start cooking until five. That probably meant they were having a formal meal. "Guests?"

"Shisui-sensei is joining us."

Sasuke frowned. It figured. He couldn't do anything without his father checking up on him. He was heir to the Uchiha estate, the undisputed genius of his generation, and a jounin, but even that wasn't enough. He'd met and surpassed every single one of his father's impossible standards, but Uchiha Fugaku would never be satisfied.

Sasuke would never match up to Itachi in his eyes.

Even in death, his memory lingered on, souring every one of Sasuke's accomplishments. The only satisfaction Sasuke had was that at least _he_ hadn't quit. His brother had broken under the pressure, but Sasuke refused to. His will was stronger than that. No one would ever open the door to his room to find him impaled on his own katana.

"Sasuke." A gentle touch to his elbow and he was drawn out of that dark memory.

"It's okay._ I'm _okay." He said in his most reassuring voice.

Hinata smiled back, slipping an arm around his waist and leaning in to hug him. "You smell like smoke. Were you practicing your fire jutsus earlier?"

"Yeah." He took a moment to relish the contact before he realized something. "I'm getting you all sweaty."

"I don't mind."

Sasuke let the corners of his lips turn up at the way she rested her head against his chest. He'd taken off his shirt earlier and her hair was sliding softly over his skin. When he pressed a kiss to Hinata's head she leaned into him even more, her curves fitting nicely against him.

Of course, he was seventeen, so it was no surprise that the gesture had inspired certain thoughts. He caged her with his arms and nibbled at that spot on her collarbone that always made her gasp.

"D-don't. Sasuke! We promised."

He made an irritated sound in the back of his throat. "It was a stupid promise."

Hinata's eyes were half-closed as he kissed his way over her neck, her pulse fluttering wildly under his lips. "But you promised all the... all the same."

Sasuke had to chuckle. She was wavering, he could tell.

"I promised we wouldn't have sex in the house. I didn't say anything about _outside_ of it."

He took the opportunity to push her back against a training log and hike one of her legs up against his hip. She let him. Hell, she even lifted her face for a kiss and tangled her fingers in the messy spikes of his hair when he obliged. _I'm not the only who missed thi_s. Sasuke thought smugly before Hinata slipped her tongue into his mouth and banished all other thoughts.

Sasuke focused on kissing her breathless while he unzipped her jacket. He was in the process of getting those stupid bandages off her chest when she came to her senses. "Mmm. We should stop. Sasuke. Sasuke!"

"What? I'm cutting these fucking things off by the way."

"Mmph!" More kissing and groping managed to quiet her enough that he could steal one of her kunai and free her breasts from their bindings.

"Much better." He tossed the kunai behind him and it thunked into a target. It hit the outermost ring, but oh well.

"We, we shouldn't..." Hinata's words dissolved into heartfelt moans as he nuzzled his face against her breasts and started mouthing at them. This was pretty much the greatest thing ever, but so far Sasuke had managed not to let on. He had a reputation to uphold.

Sasuke was the number one rookie of his class _and _the only guy in Konoha his age who was getting laid regularly. Was it any surprise he was a self-satisfied bastard?

Despite the fact she was clearly enjoying herself, it was obvious Hinata was having second thoughts. She rarely needed to be coaxed this much. Sometimes he could just _look_ at her and she was in the mood. "Relax, Hinata. We're not doing anything wrong. We've been engaged since forever. Mom's just being overprotective. You know Father approves."

It was only natural, considering the circumstances. Sasuke's parents had spent all of their childhood trying to pair them up, pushing them at each other, and encouraging their close friendship. It had only been a matter of time until puberty hit and they started sneaking into one another's bed.

Granted, he probably shouldn't have gotten caught doing it, but it _had_ earned him a very rare, "As expected of my son." Not that Mikoto had been pleased about that. Heh. Clearly, there was more to his father than he had previously realized.

Sasuke lifted his head and pressed a kiss against her cheek, letting things simmer for a minute while Hinata tried to make up her mind. It was hard to be patient when her fingers were trailing thoughtfully across his bare back, but he suffered through it.

"I feel bad about lying to Mikoto-san. I said we'd stop doing this."

"Che. She's just worried you'll get pregnant before we're ready. She shouldn't be. You're cleared to take missions." All kunoichi were required to take very strict precautions against pregnancy, sexually active or not. It was a preventative measure and Sasuke really didn't like thinking about the reasons behind that particular policy, but it made sense.

It also made things convenient.

He nudged his hips against hers and drew his tongue down the curve of her ear. "She doesn't have to know." Sasuke knew he'd used the right husky tone, because Hinata whimpered and pressed her hips back against him.

Uchiha Sasuke wins again.

Things got hot and heavy after that. Her jacket was thrown to the side and her pants followed swiftly after. By the time he had worked her panties off, they were both rough with impatience. It had been forever. Well, three weeks, but close enough.

Sasuke didn't even bother to do more than unzip his fly and pull himself out. Not when Hinata was making those urgent little kitten sounds in his ear. It was hard to tear himself away when there was so much pale skin to run his mouth over, but he managed when she tugged him closer and drew his head up for another scorching kiss.

He had to concentrate for a moment, so he could lift Hinata up a bit more and pin her with his body against the log. Then he was sliding inside her and it took everything Sasuke had to hold still, to clench his jaw against the need to thrust mindlessly.

"Hurry! Please, Sasuke." Oh god, that voice! Did she have to sound so breathless? It was ruining his control.

"Just a minute."

An tiny impatient huff and Hinata was curling a leg around him to pull him closer and okay, Sasuke was thoroughly convinced. It took no time at all for them to find a rhythm, which was only to be expected considering how much practice they had. Sex and sparring, it was all pretty much the same, but it meant that even before they had gotten this far they'd known how to move with and against each other in all the right ways.

It was always so easy to get lost in her. The sensations were so intense Sasuke could hardly bear it.

"Hinata. Hinata-chan, you feel so good." His voice was a rough whisper and it made her clench around him and gasp against his throat as he sped up. Perfect. She was perfect and beautiful and if anyone ever saw Sasuke this freaking happy it would ruin his reputation as a heartless jackass _forever_.

The mewling sounds she was making were going straight to his cock. Thank god she was close or he would have embarrassed himself. Soon enough Hinata was shuddering underneath him, her pale eyes warm and endless with love as she stared at him.

Sasuke muttered something into her mouth that might, just possibly, have been romantic drivel and then he was coming too, thrusting into her so hard she was probably getting splinters in her back. He'd check later. Once he could move again.

"Uhhhnn." Talking could wait too. He would rather not come across as a brain dead moron. No way was he going to let himself sound like Naruto.

Well, it wasn't like basking in afterglow was a chore with the way Hinata loved cuddling against him. He didn't mind really, not all that much. Especially not when he was still inside her and could still feel the aftershocks of orgasm still rippling through their bodies.

Hinata sighed, long and satisfied, and casually propped her arms on his shoulders so she could run her fingers through his hair and try and comb it into some semblance of order. It was a waste of time, as disheveled as he was, but it felt nice so he kept his mouth shut.

"We should leave soon." There, a complete sentence. He was awesome.

"Yeah. We'll have to shower too."

Sasuke pressed his face against her neck and let his tongue dart out to taste her skin. She tasted delicious and, even better, she smelled like him. Kiba was going to be so pissed. Stupid dog-boy didn't know when to back down. Hinata was clearly _his_. It had been that way since they were both nine years old and no mangy mutt could ever change that.

There was a very fancy scroll signed by Hyuuga Hiashi in his father's office to prove it.

Sasuke was distracted from his possessive thoughts when Hinata squirmed against him.

"Am I too heavy? Getting splinters?" He eased some of his weight off of her and caught her with his thigh when she started to slide down the log a little.

"No, you were fine. We should get going soon though."

"Yeah. I need to pick up my weapons." That in no way discouraged Sasuke from nipping at her ear. "How about another round first? If we're going to be late we might as well make it worth it."

Hinata giggled, causing her breasts to bounce in a manner that immediately caught his attention. "You're going to get us in trouble! Even if Mikoto-san doesn't figure it out, Shisui-sensei will."

"Let him. Shisui knows better than to run his mouth."

Sasuke swooped in for another kiss before she could reply. He brushed a hand lightly underneath one of her breasts and then thumbed her nipple gently. It earned him a gasp and a tight grip on his biceps. Yeah, first more sex and then they'd go home to have a nice hot bath and eat dinner. Not a bad way to end the day, as far as Sasuke was concerned.

He was just about to get more serious about the sex part when the sound of a bush rustling behind them sent his head rearing back. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared nastily at the moving greenery.

If Naruto was spying on him again there would be hell to pay!

"Byakugan!" Hinata said swiftly, the veins rising near her eyes as she stared into the distance. "There's someone out there watching us!"

It took three seconds flat for Sasuke to tuck himself away and fix his pants. Even doing that, he managed to radiate killing intent. Hinata was moving frantically behind him in an attempt to locate her clothes. She was obviously mortified and it only fueled his rage.

"You're DEAD! Do you hear me, Naruto?!"

It wasn't Naruto. It was someone worse.

The bush quivered before it exploded with purple smoke. A tall figure jumped out in a flash of glaring red and white, a huge grin plastered across his super-perverted face.

"HA! It's nice to see not everyone in Konoha is a prude! I'd definitely give your performance a solid 7 out of 10. You get points off though, because Mr. Angry-Face here is crap at foreplay."

"WHAT?? I am _not_!" Sasuke shouted, bristling like a rabid porcupine.

"Hey, hey, take it easy! I don't mean any harm. Besides, you should be proud to have inspired me! This is perfect material for my next book!"

Jiraiya took the opportunity to leer at Hinata, who was attempting to zip up her jacket as fast as humanly possible. "Don't bother getting dressed on my account! You're definitely easy on the eyes. Hehehe. I'm not usually into jailbait, but I'd make an exception for you, babe!"

Oh, that was IT! Sasuke was not going to put up with this! A familiar chirping sound filled the clearing and his vision went red. His Sharingan eyes swirled with rage as he lunged towards the peeping tom in a dead run, chakra crackling down his arm.

"CHIDORI!" He missed by an inch.

"Hey! Careful with that thing, boy. You could hurt yourself."

Yeah, right! Sasuke was going to shove this Chidori somewhere _very_ painful, Legendary Sannin or not!

That was easier said than done, though. Each swipe was closer than the last, but the toad hermit managed to evade it with some impossibly ridiculous pose each time. Among them was a back bend, some sort of ballet pose, and even a painful looking split.

It was so frustrating! How the hell did he keep hopping out of the way?

"HAHAHA! You'll never manage to touch me, the Great and Powerful Toad Hermit of - ERK!" A sheaf of white hair floated towards the ground as the Chidori just missed Jiraiya's nose. "You little prick! What do you think you're doing, waving an assassination technique around like that?!"

"_Guess_." The words came out as a growl.

"Right. That's my cue! I've gathered more than enough information for now. You kids have fun! Mwah!" Jiraiya sent a big juicy kiss flying Hinata's way before he turned to flee.

That opening was just what Sasuke had been waiting for. A backhanded swing of the Chidori finally made it through the toad hermit's guard. Despite his claims, he didn't want to actually kill the old man, so he turned his hand at the last second to catch the huge scroll case on Jiraiya's back.

It only took him a moment to realize that had been a very bad idea as chakra erupted around him in a huge billowing explosion of light.

The force of it sent Sasuke flying back into Hinata and, shortly after that, into unconsciousness.

* * *

TBC...

A/N: Please R&R! Constructive criticism is welcome.


	2. The Aftermath

TITLE: An Accident of Fate

RATING: R

PAIRING: Sasuke/Hinata

WARNINGS: This story contains sex, violence, bad language, improbable dimension hopping for the sake of my amusement, and lots of jokes at Sasuke's expense. Don't read if any of these things offend you.

A/N: Here's the second chapter. Hopefully, it will clear up any questions you have. Tell me if I left anything out or if the explanation isn't very clear! This chapter is fairly long and was really fun to write. Hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.

* * *

Chapter Two: The Aftermath 

Sasuke woke up with a hangover.

At least, it felt like a hangover. It took far too much effort to crack his eyes open and the stabbing pain it caused was enough to dissuade him from trying again. Had he gone drinking with Team Kakashi? Probably not. No doubt his sadistic father would have dragged him out for early morning training again if that was the case.

Wait... it was coming back to him.

Something about toads. No the toad hermit. He had been spying on them... _Hinata_!!

Sasuke shot out of bed and stumbled towards the doorway, beyond disoriented, but determined to figure out what had happened.

His steps slowed when he reached the hallway.

The house was silent and a heavy pall hung over it. A chill ran up his spine and Sasuke pressed himself against the wall as he tried to get his bearings. He moved soundlessly over the wooden floorboards as he padded around the back of the house.

Unnerved, Sasuke slid open one of the doors and stepped inside the dojo. His eyes immediately fell on a wide brown stain in the middle of the floor.

His mother-! A stark image of her corpse flashed behind his eyes, his father's body sprawled awkwardly over her chest. NO. No, this had not happened! Itachi had been coward enough to take his own life, but he would never have slaughtered their family! This was a nightmare and any moment he would wake up in bed with Hinata spooned warmly against his side.

This WASN'T REAL!

Sasuke slammed the door shut behind him and ran through the house, past the dusty living room and out the front door. Most of the lawn was brown and it crunched dryly under his feet. A minute later and he was down the road, puffs of dry earth flying up in his wake. The rest of the Uchiha district was unnaturally quiet, empty in a way that was completely horrifying.

It was gradually dawning on him that somehow this emptiness was familiar.

They were dead.

Itachi had hacked them to pieces, had hacked Sasuke's _life_ to pieces.

The conflicting memories were a jumble, shifting like pieces of broken glass in his mind. Sasuke tripped, his legs buckling under him. He scraped his hands and knees raw when he landed wrong, but it barely bothered him. Sasuke kneeled in the middle of the street, his hair hanging in his face as he tried to work out exactly what was real. He was seventeen, the heir to his clan, and a jounin.

Except that he _wasn't_.

Uchiha Sasuke was twelve years old.

His parents were dead. His brother, who _should_ be dead, was alive. Though not for long if Sasuke had anything to say about that. He was kidding himself though. He hadn't even graduated from the academy yet, he had no hope against an S-class criminal like Itachi.

Sasuke had known immediately that something was wrong with him, but he had ignored it in favor of trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He had honed his body into a weapon and he _knew _when it wasn't working the way it should. His muscle tone had deteriorated, his balance was way off, and his chakra capacity was pitiful.

Twelve years old. _Twelve_.

He still woke up in the middle of the night crying like a baby from nightmares so terrible he could barely remember them. It was a result of the trauma he had suffered at Itachi's hands, but that didn't ease his pride. He probably had some serious psychological problems, but he was still the same Sasuke who had made his father so proud, who had strived so hard to regain the honor the Uchiha had lost because of his brother's suicide.

Wasn't he?

He remembered being that boy. He could clearly recall being the Sasuke who had grown up with his parents' guidance, who had gladly shouldered the burden of being the clan heir and all that it entailed. He had gone to the village council meetings at his father's side. To him, the Hokage was not a meddling old man, but someone he would some day work under and would work _with_ to protect his loved ones.

He had a second set of memories though, from a darker life.

Sasuke was also the bitter orphan who had been forced to fend for himself, who lived in that empty mausoleum of a house he had just fled from. That Sasuke spent hours training for the sake of revenge, wondering why he hadn't been killed with the rest of his family and half-wishing he had.

Uchiha Sasuke was not a part of Konoha; it was strange that he so clearly remembered a world in which he was.

How long he spent just sitting there, thinking about his family, he didn't know. It was hard to keep track of the time, as depressed as he was. Everything good in his life, everything that had made life worth_ living_, had been stolen from him with a careless swing of the Chidori.

This was his fault.

He should never have gone after Jiraiya like that. Sasuke knew better than to lose his temper! Somehow hitting that scroll with a high level lightening jutsu had shifted reality two steps to the left and soaked it in blood.

It was possible Sasuke had finally gone insane, but he doubted it. The level of detail he recalled and the knowledge he retained from his jounin status wasn't something that could be imitated easily. Uchiha genius or not, there was no way for him to know Chidori or the higher level fire ninjutsu he was so familiar with.

Performing a decent _Katon: Karyuu Enden _would probably kill him now.

Sasuke's chakra levels were comparable to a weak chunnin's. It was definitely an unacceptable state of affairs that he would be remedying as soon as possible.

Which meant it was time to get off his ass and stop feeling sorry for himself.

Sasuke was _not _a weakling. He knew better than to act like one by giving into the despair that was threatening to swallow him whole. He stood up, got his head back together, and went home.

He was going to take a shower, eat a rice ball, and then get dressed.

After that he had a test at the ninja academy to pass. Uchiha Sasuke was going to become the strongest shinobi the Hidden Village of the Leaf had ever seen.

* * *

Sasuke found himself sitting in the back of the classroom, his arm hooked over the desk behind him as he watched a few eager students in the front settle their things. The stadium seating meant he had a very good view, but the only one he recognized was Aburame Shino who seemed absorbed in a wasp nest outside the window.

Sasuke was strangely unsettled.

It wasn't something he wanted to admit to himself, but he was nervous. Sasuke was confident that he would graduate the academy with the highest score, that wasn't a worry. Hinata, however, was. Did she even remember him? She had to. The alternative didn't bear thinking about.

He caught himself drumming his fingers and had to force himself to stop. This was ridiculous. Sasuke had spent the last fifteen minutes going over ways to approach her in his mind. He felt a brief flash of regret over the lack of chairs. It would be easy to simply push one at her with his foot and wait for her to take a seat next to him. As it was, with the benches, he would have to actually _ask_ her to sit down.

How troublesome, as Shikamaru would say.

It was still early, so he didn't have to worry about Sakura or Ino bombarding him yet. Hopefully, by the time they arrived, he and Hinata would have settled things and Iruka would have started calling students' names. With a serious test in progress and the other teachers riding herd on the rest of the class, they would have to leave him alone.

That was the plan, anyway.

A few more students tromped in, chatting together loudly. Sasuke ignored them and focused on the small shadow that slipped in behind them. It was Hinata. She was tiny and her hair was cut in a short bob, but it was her all the same.

Her pearlescent Hyuuga eyes scanned the room and settled briefly on him before she flushed pink and ducked her head. Sasuke kept his gaze on her and was pleased when she repeatedly stole glances at him from under her eyelashes as she made her way through the maze of desks.

Hinata started angling towards him and Sasuke felt a surge of hope.

She had never approached him before. She was too timid, he was too intimidating. They had mostly ignored one another and this deviation from the norm was a very good sign.

Smirking, he slid out of his seat and leaned against the edge of the desk while he waited for her to maneuver around a pack of loud boys. For a lack of anything better to do, he settled his hands in his pockets and slouched.

Then there she was, her hands folded nervously as she stood blushing so shyly in front of him. _Cute_, he thought and then kicked himself for being an idiot.

"You can have the window." Okay, so he hadn't actually asked her to sit down, but it got the point across, right?

Hinata smiled up at him, relieved. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Her words reassured him. This was_ his_ Hinata. She had never been so informal with a boy before, had never addressed anyone but him without an honorific. It was subtle, but it told him everything he needed to know.

Sasuke waited for her to take a seat and then slid in beside her. He rested his cheek in one hand and turned to watch Hinata as she stuck her bag next to her arranged her things neatly. Finally, she looked over at him, a small blush still lingering on her cheeks.

"G-good morning."

"Good morning, Hinata-chan."

Her eyes searched his for a moment and then she bit her lip. Her voice was soft when she spoke, but Sasuke had been listening carefully for it. "You remember."

"Yes. So do you."

Hinata's fingers ghosted over knuckles and he caught her hand and held it, their fingers folding together easily. "I thought I was going crazy or that it w-was some strange dream. I'm so glad it was real."

"Me too."

"Sasuke." Her voice was harsh with emotion. Grief and sympathy. "Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san are really...?"

He swallowed and managed a fairly even reply. "Yeah."

"It's not... how could...? I can barely believe it. I'll miss them so much. Mikoto-san was always so kind to me. They took me in and gave me a home. They showed me what a family should be. It's just not right."

"Don't you dare cry."

"Sorry." She whispered, sniffling and wiping at her eyes with a heavy sleeve.

Sasuke squeezed her hand comfortingly before letting it slide out of his grasp. "If your father gives you too much trouble you can stay with me. The house is... it's empty." He hadn't meant to say that last part, but it was too late to take it back, so he let it stand.

It was true, after all.

Her mouth turned grim at the mention of her father, then softened with concern when he mentioned his own loneliness. "I've been thinking. We should probably talk to Hokage-sama about what happened. Maybe he'll know how to fix it?"

Surprisingly, the idea hadn't even occurred to him. It was a good one though. If anyone knew how to put things to right, it was the Third Hokage. "I'm not sure if he can help, but it's worth a try. We can go after the test."

"Okay."

Sasuke slumped back in his seat and stretched an arm out behind Hinata. It elicited a few stares and several jealous whispers, but he ignored them. Hinata was looking at him with a mixture of amusement and dismay.

"You're going to get me mauled."

"If you can't defend yourself from a bunch of little girls, you deserve it." It made her giggle, which was what he had been aiming for, and he sent her a satisfied smirk.

As long as she could laugh like that, things weren't so bad.

* * *

Two hours and twelve bunshin later, Sasuke had earned himself a Konoha head protector.

It was a relief to be finished with the academy. There was so much he needed to do, he had no time for childish things. He winced at the thought of all the D-class missions he was going to be stuck with.

He found Hinata perched on a bench outside, waiting patiently for him. "Let's go."

She fell into step with him easily.

They made their way towards the Hokage tower, their shoulders bumping companionably. Sasuke was amused at the double-takes some villagers did at seeing the Hyuuga heiress and the last Uchiha walking so closely together.

They would just have to get used to it.

They couldn't expect Sasuke to be the same person he had been even a day ago. He was no longer looking to the past, but towards the future. Sasuke was going to become a powerful ninja and rebuild his clan so that it was stronger than it ever had been before. No one, not even Uchiha Itachi, would be able to stifle that ambition.

His thoughts must have shown on his face, because he and Hinata were admitted into the Hokage's office with surprising ease. Surely his scowl wasn't that scary. What kind of chunnin started sweating because of a twelve year old?

"Stop that." Hinata scolded softly.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

"You're radiating killing intent."

Oh. Oops.

Their conversation was put to a halt when the door swung open to reveal the Sandaime. He smiled at them as he entered his office and took a seat behind his desk. "Well, well. What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you two?"

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama." Hinata greeted him, as polite as ever.

Never one for small talk, Sasuke got right to the point. "Sarutobi-sama, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we have something very important to discuss with you."

The Hokage lit his pipe and leaned back in his chair, an interested expression on his weathered face. "Oh? Is that so? Please continue, Sasuke-kun."

"There was an incident with a scroll yesterday and there seem to be some... unexpected side effects. It's my fault. Hinata and I were training in the woods and when I discovered someone spying on us I attacked him. The culprit was Jiraiya."

Sarutobi blinked, obviously surprised. "Jiraiya? I didn't know he was in Konoha."

"He's not. At least, I don't think he is. I attacked Jiraiya and I managed to land a hit on his scroll case with Chidori, causing it to explode. When we woke up, everything was different. Hinata and I are five years younger than we were before and while we can recall all the events you'd expect us to, we also remember things that have never happened."

"Did you say _Chidori_?" The Hokage's pipe had fallen out of his mouth some time ago.

Sasuke's hands flashed through the familiar seals and a hum of light filled the room. He let it die quickly before it drained too much of his chakra, but it was more than enough proof.

"There's no way you could know that technique!"

All he could do was shrug. There was no rational explanation for _any_ of this, really.

Seeing that he wasn't going to add anything else, Hinata finally spoke up. "Hokage-sama, is there any way to fix it?"

The old man sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I'm not sure there's much I can do. Even with all of my knowledge, I've never come across a situation like this. There's no telling what was in Jiraiya's scroll case or what damage Sasuke-kun's Chidori caused. All I can do is try to get in touch with that deviant student of mine and consult him on it, but that may take some time. As it is, I trust you two will keep this between the three of us?"

"Yes, sir."

"Of course."

"Good. Now, why don't you tell me a little about these strange memories of the future?"

So, Sasuke did. He told the Hokage of his brother's suicide, of how Orochimaru had attacked his clan and stolen the body of Uchiha Shisui, and the Sound's attempt to invade Konoha during the Chunnin Exams.

"The civilians were evacuated and the Sound's forces were turned back. Some damage was sustained from Orochimaru's summoned snakes, but for the most part, there weren't that many casualties. You battled Orochimaru to a stalemate and then used the _Shiki Fuujin _on him."

He lifted his head to find the Hokage staring at him intently. Sasuke's next words were spoken with quiet gravity.

"You would not have won, if Orochimaru hadn't been using an Uchiha body. For some reason, the body transfer went wrong. Shisui's personality was suppressed, but not lost. Once the Shinigami was summoned, he was able to help you wrestle Orochimaru's soul into submission and seal it away."

Sarutobi exhaled a long stream of smoke. "I see. It is a death any Hokage would be proud of."

"My clan was alive when the invasion took place. We were on the front lines. I'm not sure how things will unfold now, but I hope I've told you enough to help."

"Don't concern yourselves with it. We have months to prepare. Any force that attempts to invade Konoha will be surprised indeed." He gave them a kind smile and then glanced at the clock on the far wall. "I'm afraid I'm running late to a council meeting, but this has been most enlightening."

It was clearly a dismissal.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." Hinata bowed gracefully.

"No need for that! You've both been very patient with this old man. I'm only sorry that I couldn't help you more. Please don't hesitate to stop by if you have need of me again."

"We won't. Thank you for speaking with us." Sasuke inclined his head towards the Hokage before he turned to leave. His hand naturally slipped to the small of Hinata's back as he escorted her out the door.

"Oh and Sasuke-kun?" Sarutobi called after them, a mischievous light in his eyes.

He paused with a sinking feeling in his stomach, "Yes?"

"If you and Hinata-chan feel the need to '_train_' any time soon please be discreet about it. The last thing I need is an enraged Hyuuga Hiashi pounding on my door, demanding your head."

He refused to blush! "Y-Yes, Hokage-sama."

Before the Hokage could comment on the way his voice had cracked, Sasuke nodded farewell and made a break for it. He caught Hinata with one arm as she fainted and shut the door firmly behind them with the other.

Sasuke couldn't believe the Hokage had said that to him! "Perverted old man."

"I heard that!" A muffled voice responded.

Of course he had.

* * *

"You keep dropping your elbow." 

"R-right. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just stop doing it."

Sasuke knew he was being harsh, but he couldn't help himself. Training against someone with the Gentle Fist style was good practice, but Hinata wasn't using it to it's full potential. She was slow and clumsy, all too easy prey for anyone who meant her harm.

They had completed the tree walking exercise with ease. The pond behind the Uchiha mansion had been perfect to practice walking on water, but even mastering that hadn't satisfied Sasuke. So they had decided to spar.

They were both sweating under the blazing afternoon sun. Hinata had long ago discarded her jacket. Her face was red with exertion and her breath was coming in heavy pants. Hinata's stamina was much lower than his and she was having trouble keeping up.

Even though he was in better condition, avoiding her chakra-filled hands had worn Sasuke down as well.

"Break?" Hinata pleaded, taking a moment to shake her hair out of her eyes.

Sasuke glowered, offended that she wanted to quit on him so soon. How was she going to get stronger if she refused to train herself into exhaustion? "No. Keep going."

"I don't think I can."

"Pfft. Fine." His voice was dismissive. "You have to fix us dinner though."

She paused thoughtfully. "Do you even have food in the house?"

That was a stumper. "Rice, I think. I'm not sure. This place is a mess. I need to have repairs done on the whole district. Father would beat me unconscious if he knew I'd let things go this badly."

"Fugaku-san would understand, I think."

Sasuke had to snort at that. Hinata was too sweet. She tended to give people the benefit of the doubt. He greatly respected his father, but he wasn't blind to his faults. The man had been a complete hard-ass.

He followed Hinata into the cool shade of the porch and sprawled down next to her carelessly. Sasuke shut his eyes in relief when a cool breeze washed over him.

"We get put into teams tomorrow. You turned in your ninja registration form, right?"

"Yeah." Did she have to remind him of that? The last thing he wanted to think about was all the stupid little chores he'd be doing on Team 7 for the next few months. Sasuke _hated_ D-class missions. They were a waste of time.

"Our scores came in. I made third place, after you and Shino-kun."

Sasuke waited silently, knowing from her tone that there was more to it than that.

"Father was displeased with me. He had me running laps around the compound for most of last night. I don't think there's anything I could do at this point that would make him happy. It's strange, isn't it? I spent all that time resenting how he easily gave me up, but I can see now that it was the best thing he ever did for me. I don't even feel like a Hyuuga any more."

Sasuke propped himself up on his elbow and frowned at her. Hinata was sitting against the wall, hugging her knees. She looked distant and sad.

"Your father is a bastard. You shouldn't listen to anything he says to you."

"It's hard to ignore him though. I know I'm not worthless, but hearing it so often makes me wonder sometimes."

"You are_ not_ worthless."

Hinata gave him a tremulous smile. "Thanks."

He was far from finished. "The Hyuuga are just fucked up. Who would put a curse seal on their own relatives? It's insane! It promotes dissent within the family and it's more of a liability than anything else. They're just lucky they got you as the heir and not Itachi. He wouldn't even need a katana. A few hand seals and the whole clan would be bleeding their brains out their nose."

"He probably does know the seal. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd copied it with the Sharingan." Her brows were furrowed anxiously, but her voice was fairly calm. The likelihood of his brother showing up in Konoha just to wipe out the Hyuuga was fairly slim.

Sasuke snorted and laid back down, one arm folded beneath his head. "It would serve them right. You should run away and come live with me."

"You just want someone to cook your meals for you."

"Don't forget the laundry."

Hinata laughed into her hand. "You're horrible."

"You know it."

There was a long, comfortable silence while they relaxed on the porch.

"We should elope. The sooner we start having kids the better, right? We have to repopulate a whole clan. It might take a while."

"Sasuke!" Hinata cried, scandalized. "We're only seventeen!"

"Technically, we're twelve."

"That's worse!"

He loved teasing Hinata, he couldn't help himself. Her outraged expressions were just too funny! "Don't look so worried. I'm not going to steal you away and force you to be my love slave. Well, not for a few years, at least."

"_Love slave_? If anyone's going to be the love slave around here it's you!" She lunged at him and he flung himself to his feet to escape. He blocked Hinata's half-hearted punch with one forearm and hooked his left foot behind her knee. She landed easily and did a quick sweeping kick that he had to flip backwards to avoid.

She sprang at him, pressing her attack.

They exchanged a flurry of swift blows until Sasuke, elite ninja genius that he was, tripped backwards and fell off the porch.

He stood slowly, a dark scowl twisting his face. "Don't say it."

Hinata muffled a giggle behind her hands.

"I mean it, shut up."

"Sasuke. You have... in your hair." She managed to gesture vaguely at the leaves sticking out at awkward angles in his cowlick, before she completely lost it.

"Stop laughing! Hinata!"

He charged at her, lifting her up over his shoulder and running like hell towards the pond before she could catch on. "Sasuke! NO! Sasuke, put me down! Don't you dare - _kyaaaa_!" She hit the water with a huge splash.

Sasuke crossed his arms smugly as she emerged from the lake.

"_Suiton: Teppodama_!" Hinata brought her hands together in a seal and proceeded to shoot a huge bullet of water at Sasuke's head.

"Shit! _Suiton: Suijinheki_!"

By the time the water fight had ended, they were both soaking wet and half the pond was on the lawn. It was probably for the best, as dead as the grass was.

It had been good ninjutsu training at least.

They ended up on the porch again, dripping water everywhere as they watched the sun start to sink slowly towards the horizon. Sitting there with Hinata, Sasuke felt strange. There was an inexplicable warmth in his chest. He had been _having fun_. For seventeen year old Sasuke, it was nothing out of the ordinary, but for his younger self it felt very unnatural.

Sasuke supposed that part of him would just have to get used to being happy.

He was no longer alone. Whatever path he chose to walk, he knew Hinata would be beside him, her hand in his as they made their way through life.

It was something to look forward to.

* * *

Now with Ninjutsu translations!

_Katon: Karyuu Enden -_ Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile. It's B-rank.

_Suiton: Teppodama -_ Water Release: Gunshot. C-rank

_Suiton: Suijinheki -_ Water Release: Water Wall. B-rank. (though maybe less since they were standing right next to a lake)

TBC... Don't forget to review!


	3. Life Goes On

TITLE: An Accident of Fate  
RATING: R  
PAIRING: Sasuke/Hinata  
SUMMARY: I took one (comparatively) well-adjusted Uchiha Sasuke, plopped him into the canon Naruto-verse, and threw poor Hinata along for the ride.  
WARNINGS: This story contains sex, violence, bad language, improbable dimension hopping for the sake of my amusement, and lots of jokes at Sasuke's expense. Don't read if any of these things offend you.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. Also, this is not beta-ed. You have been warned. ;)  
A/N: Okay, so this chapter was a bit more difficult to write. The story in all should be anywhere from 5-10 chapters and once it's finished I'll probably go back and edit it more heavily.

* * *

Chapter 3: Life Goes On

Sasuke woke up retching.

He barely made it to the bathroom in time before he started throwing up the dinner Hinata had made him last night. It was almost four thirty in the morning.

His eyes were hot with tears as he collapsed bonelessly against the toilet.

His nightmares had been an echo of Mangekyou Sharingan, forcing him to relive the massacre of his clan while he slept. The memories haunted him every time he shut his eyes. Sasuke wondered if he would ever be free of the grief or the rage, if he would ever be free of Itachi's shadow.

It was quiet, aside from his own unsteady breathing.

He hated it, hated the eerie silence that lingered in every room of the house. It was so different from how he remembered it from_ before_, from that other life that was starting to seem more and more like a dream.

Once the nausea had passed, Sasuke dragged himself to his feet and propped himself up against the sink. Flipping the faucet on, he leaned forward and dunked his head under the stream of cold water.

The shock of it drove away the gory images that had been etched behind his eyelids.

Wiping his face, he glanced up at the mirror and did a disbelieving double-take. He was pale and younger than he expected, but that wasn't what had surprised him so badly.

His eyes were blood red._ Sharingan_.

Frowning, Sasuke leaned closer to examine them. "Three tomoe?"

It shouldn't have been possible. The Sharigan was usually activated in life or death situations and even then he should have had one tomoe, possibly two at the most. That didn't change the fact that he'd woken up with his bloodline limit fully activated.

Noticing the drain on his chakra, Sasuke turned the Sharingan off with a thought.

His eyes, now dark, stared thoughtfully back at him in the mirror.

With the complete Sharingan, Sasuke would be much stronger. He was still nowhere near the level he had been as a jounin, but this was a very good start to regaining his previous power. He would still have to work hard to master his advanced bloodline, of course. It did no good to anticipate a blow if he was still too slow to block it.

There was no way he could fall asleep now, with his mind so busy.

Sighing, Sasuke brushed his teeth quickly and got dressed. He was out the door in minutes. He didn't bother to lock it behind him. No one ever set foot on Uchiha ground without an invitation. Apparently, the place creeped people out.

Big surprise.

Sasuke made his way through the darkened village, his steps speeding up as soon as he saw the warm glow of light coming from the center of town.

Konoha was quietest at this time of night, but it was a ninja village. It was never completely asleep. Stores and food stands in particular were always open near the Hokage tower. Now that his stomach had settled, Sasuke's appetite was swiftly returning and the warm smell of roasting meat made his stomach rumble.

He drifted towards the source of the delicious scent that had been wafting down the street and settled himself on a stool. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't the only one who had found it appealing. Several shinobi had already claimed the far end of the counter and were laughing at something one of them had said.

Deciding on _kushiyaki_, Sasuke placed his order and settled in to wait, his elbows braced on the counter and his hands folded in front of his face. None of the other ninja had noticed his entrance. He gave them an evaluating glance. There were three chunnin and a jounin. They looked exhausted, but that was no excuse for having a shit sense of awareness.

"...can't believe the little bastard actually managed it!" One of the chunnin was saying. "Right out from under the Hokage's nose! So embarrassing."

The jounin was adjusting his sunglasses self-importantly. Sasuke snorted. Sunglasses at night? What a loser. "No doubt Naruto used that disgustingly vulgar jutsu of his on Hokage-sama! The poor man must have been horrified!"

Naruto, eh? Sasuke began to eavesdrop more intently.

"Horrified, _riiiight_. Hokage-sama was probably too busy having a nosebleed to keep the brat from stealing the scroll."

That idiot. It figured.

"How dare you accuse Hokage-sama of such a dishonorable thing!"

Sasuke's meal arrived, drawing his attention away from the fuss. He arranged his skewers and the dipping sauce before he dug in. Absorbed in eating, it took him a moment to notice the tall, thin figure with silver hair sitting three stools over.

How the hell had he missed Kakashi popping out of nowhere like that?

Sasuke, trying not to give his recognition away, glanced past Kakashi toward the others. They were still talking about Naruto. "...chasing after that brat all night! I don't know what Hokage-sama was thinking they day he let Uzumaki into the academy. The last thing we need is for_ him_ to be a ninja."

"Can you believe they passed him?"

"Ha! It won't last. No parent would let their children be on the same team with that demon! Everyone knows what he is." _The Kyuubi vessel_, Sasuke filled in silently for them. As if that mattered.

"Ahem." Kakashi interrupted, giving the three chunnin and the jounin next to him a lazy-lidded look. "You probably shouldn't talk like that on the street. Especially not when little ears are nearby."

"Hatake! What are you doing here?"

"Just got back from a mission."

"What were you talking about little ears for? There aren't any kids out here."

The copy-nin leaned back so he was no longer blocking the boy behind him from sight.

Sasuke began to diligently chew on a slice of roasted tomato as the other shinobi finally spotted him at the far end of the counter. Hopefully, they'd shut up and leave him alone. Sasuke really didn't want to bother with them. No such luck, though. "Hey! What the hell is someone your age doing out so late?"

Pretending not to hear, he took another bite off his skewer. Beef, this time. He was almost finished eating. Onion, pepper, and another bite of beef swiftly followed the first. The chunnin who had challenged him didn't take kindly to being ignored.

"Didn't you hear me? What are you doing out at four in the morning, brat?"

"None of your business." Sasuke replied in a bored tone of voice.

"Why, you-!"

The jounin with the sunglasses joined in. "Do your parents know where you are?"

Sasuke wasn't going to sit around answering stupid questions.

He dropped his money on the counter, stood up from his stool, and sauntered off with his hands in his pockets. An awkward silence fell as soon as he turned his back on them. The Uchiha fan wasn't exactly easy to miss, even for those morons.

"Talk about sticking your foot in your mouth, Ebisu-san."

"Is that really the Uchiha?"

"Has to be! Damn, that kid's a walking attitude problem."

"He's entitled to it. He's the number one rookie of his class. Rumor has it he would have graduated years ago if it hadn't been for the age requirement Hokage-sama put into place."

"Well, we all know why he did _that_."

Everything led back to Itachi. Damn it! He did_ not_ want to think about his brother now.

Scowling, Sasuke headed for the nearest training field. Maybe some taijutsu practice would work some of his frustration off. He was considering how to best incorporate the Sharingan into his training when the hair on the back of his neck began to rise.

He was being watched.

Keeping his body language casual, Sasuke concentrated on the area around him. He couldn't find a chakra signature, no matter how hard he tried. Whoever was watching him didn't mean him harm, though. That much he _could_ tell.

_Must be Kakashi_._ Why the hell is he tailing me? He can't be that bored._

By the time he reached the training area, Sasuke gave up on trying to figure it out and threw himself into a_ kata._ He refrained from doing anything too advanced until he knew for sure that Kakashi had left the area.

He didn't want to ruin the surprise his _sensei_ had coming.

* * *

It was sometime after the sun had risen when he finally let himself take a break. Sasuke had managed to work up a heavy sweat so he went home for a shower and a change of clothes. He was ready in fifteen minutes, though it took twice that long for him to locate a pair of clean sandals.

Sasuke had been planning to head straight for the academy, but on impulse he turned right instead of left and found himself wandering through the older clan districts. Some were empty, like his own, but most of them were just starting to come alive as people woke up.

A small red symbol on the side of a building drew his gaze. It was the Hyuuga flame.

He didn't bother to try and figure out how he'd found his way to the Hyuuga compound or what had driven him there. It was a little embarrassing, but he managed to ignore it. Frankly, Sasuke had more important things to brood about. He propped himself up against the gate outside the main house while he waited for Hinata.

Like him, she was an early riser, though she was much more gracious about it than he was. Of course, that went for most things.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

He glanced up, startled out of his thoughts at her sudden appearance. "Good morning. Ready to go?"

"Yes! Thank you for walking with me. I appreciate it."

Sasuke shrugged it off. "It's nothing."

Hinata kept glancing at him as they walked. He could tell that she was focusing chakra in her eyes, though not enough to activate her Byakugan. It was subtle enough that most people would have missed it, but Sasuke had practice. Undoubtedly, Hinata had noticed that he was slightly fatigued, but she was kind enough to keep quiet about it.

She knew Sasuke hated being nagged about his health.

The sound of her bag knocking heavily against her thigh was annoying him, so he swiped it from her and tucked it under his arm.

"Oh! It's okay. You don't have to carry that."

"I know." Sasuke didn't relinquish the bag though.

Hinata poked her fingers together nervously for a moment before deciding to let it be. "I made lunch for my team! It's not much really, but I thought it would be a nice gesture for our first day. There's a_ bento_ in there for you too, if you want."

"Thanks. I forgot to bring mine."

A comfortable silence fell as they navigated their way through the busier streets and towards the academy. Sasuke wasn't really looking forward to orientation day, but it was a necessary evil he had to bear with.

Hinata seemed nervous, but determined to do her best. She looked so serious that Sasuke couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement.

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"You're staring. I-I don't have anything on my face, do I?" Hinata brushed at one cheek self-consciously. She was so cute.

Against his will, the corners of his mouth were turning up in a smile. "You're fine."

Smiling back, she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her sleeve fell down in the process, baring her arm.

Sasuke's hand shot out to grab her wrist.

"What-?" There were red welts all over her forearm. They looked suspiciously like chakra burns. "Who did this?"

"Sa-Sasuke. It's not important."

"Hinata." Sasuke warned her darkly, carefully tightening his grip so she couldn't reclaim her damaged arm. He was not letting this go!

Hinata looked uncertain for a moment, the fingers of her other hand pressed nervously to her lips. "I... I had a sparring match last night with Hanabi. I'm fine."

"You let her close so many of your tenketsu?"

She looked ashamed. "Hanabi is very skilled for her age."

Ah. Perhaps let wasn't the word. He knew Hinata's worth though. She was an excellent ninja, even if she was still compensating for the limits of her younger self. "You were exhausted. You spent all of your chakra and stamina training with me. Don't worry about it."

"No. I should have done something, beaten her somehow. She's much younger than I am. There's no excuse for losing."

"Is that what he said?"

Hinata lowered her head and turned her face away from him. Sasuke tugged her closer to him in order to put an arm around her as they walked. She leaned into him heavily, her breath hitching as she got herself under control.

"Don't take it too hard. She had the advantage from the start. Hanabi doesn't have the same reservations you do about attacking full out." Sasuke didn't mean it as criticism, but apparently his words hit a nerve because she grew defensive.

"I know I shouldn't let my emotions cloud my judgement, but Sasuke, she's just a little girl! What if I missed and seriously hurt her? I know it sounds like an excuse, but that's how I feel." The Gentle Fist style could damage internal organs. Hinata was right to be worried about hurting her sister, especially since her own skills were still so erratic.

Sasuke scowled bitterly.

The situation was getting out of hand. How many times was Hyuuga going to punish his daughter in the guise of these 'tests'? It was obvious that he had decided Hinata was of no use to him. It was cruel of Hiashi to give her hope when it was clear that he had already made his final judgement.

"Your father is wrong. You're far from weak."

"I know." Hinata managed to smile sweetly up at him from under his arm. Sasuke was tempted to kiss her, but they were still in public and he couldn't bring himself to be quite that demonstrative.

The decision was taken out of his hands when someone bumped into him from behind.

Glowering, he turned to face the culprit and came face to face with his startled teacher. It took Sasuke a second to realize that he and Hinata had reached the academy and that Umino Iruka was just arriving for the day as well. He was clutching the classroom keys tightly in one hand.

"Sasuke! You're here early. And with Hinata-chan, how nice." Iruka was staring at them in baffled amazement, more specifically at how Sasuke had his arm casually draped around the Hyuuga heiress.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei!" Hinata called cheerfully.

"Hello, Hinata-chan. Would you two like to come in? You can help me clean up. The jounins had a lecture last night and they always leave a mess."

"I'd love to help."

Sasuke nodded his own agreement. He didn't have anything better to do.

Iruka hadn't been joking about the mess. The first thing they saw when they stepped inside was the shuriken-studded blackboard. There were food wrappers all over the place and a drink had been spilled on one of the desks.

Some of the scrolls hanging on the wall had outlines of the human body. Sasuke could tell at a glance that they had originally been used to show various pressure points, though someone had decided to scribble lewd things all over them instead.

Iruka yanked the scrolls down before Hinata spotted them. "Why don't I take care of these while you get the desks? Sasuke-kun, could you remove the shuriken?"

"Sure."

Prying the weapons out of the slate of the blackboard was more difficult than Sasuke anticipated. By the time he had finished with his assigned task, the rest of the classroom was in order once more and Hinata was no where to be found. He wasn't all that worried. Undoubtedly, she'd return soon from whatever errand she'd been sent on.

Seeing her bag resting on one of the tables, he stalked over to claim his seat.

"Sasuke! Wait a moment."

"What is it?" Looking up at his instructor's worried face, Sasuke had to wonder what this was about. Unlike most of the other suck-ups that taught here, Iruka rarely ever talked to him. It was an attitude Sasuke tended to encourage.

The chunnin rubbed his scarred nose apprehensively. "Sasuke-kun, I feel obligated to ask what your intentions are towards Hinata-chan. I'm not sure why you two are suddenly so close, but you should be careful not to take advantage of her kindness. You know she's starved for affection and not very used to boys. If you're not careful, you could hurt her feelings badly."

Sasuke was torn between laughing in the other man's face and being offended at his unspoken accusations. 'Taking advantage', was he? "It's not like that."

"O-oh? That's good to hear. You're friends then?"

He smirked, knowing it would unsettle his sensei. "I guess you could call us friends of a sort. As far as my intentions go, I'm waiting to pass the chunnin exams before I approach her father."

Iruka looked ill. "Approach...?"

"To arrange our engagement."

"You... You're only twelve! For heaven's sake, you haven't even hit puberty! Does Hinata even like you that way? I thought she had a crush on someone else."

_Naruto_. As if that loser was anywhere _near_ good enough for her!

"You thought wrong!" Sasuke snapped, any amusement he had felt at Iruka's expense evaporating rapidly. "We've discussed this and Hinata's agreed to marry me. Our personalities suit one another and the Uchiha name can protect her from her family."

In truth, they had barely touched on the subject of marriage during their discussion at dinner last night, but they hadn't really needed to. It was simply understood, an unspoken agreement that would last as long as they both drew breath.

"But you're still children!"

This was getting more irritating by the minute.

How could Sasuke possibly explain what had happened to him and that he was essentially seventeen years old? He barely understood it himself.

Sasuke knew one thing though, he didn't like the condescension in Iruka's voice. Sasuke had made jounin at fourteen! He had been handling Uchiha clan business for years. Even if you discounted those experiences, he had seen his family butchered in front of him by his own older brother.

He had no real guardians. Aside from the Hokage's monthly checkups and the occasional visit from the housekeeper he had hired, Sasuke had been left to take care of himself.

He was more than capable of making his own decisions.

"Hinata and I are both heirs to our clans and we possess two of the most powerful bloodline limits in Fire Country. We were born to be weapons! You think we're still children? Don't make me laugh."

"Oh Sasuke..." His teacher's face was full of sympathy and it only angered Sasuke more. Too many people had given him those sorrowful eyes, as if his family's death was a visible wound and it hurt them to look at it.

Uchiha Sasuke was not someone to be pitied!

"Don't bother! Just forget we had this conversation. I only answered your questions because you were concerned for Hinata. I don't want to hear any more of your lectures or stupid warnings!"

"I'm sure Hiashi-sama will be happy to lecture you when the time comes." Iruka said wryly. He was obviously humoring Sasuke and it was infuriating. "I can see you've put a lot of thought into this, so I suppose I should wish you luck with your efforts."

The Uchiha nodded tightly in acknowledgment.

Even though Iruka clearly had reservations, he grinned in an attempt to diffuse to the tension. "Your many admirers will be so disappointed!"

"As if I care about them. They're nothing." Sasuke said coldly.

"I see. I won't bring it up again. Why don't you have a seat and I'll leave you alone."

It was the most sensible thing Iruka had said all day.

* * *

"Sasuke-kuuuun! Why are you sitting with that nobody? Sit with me!"

"What are you talking about? I'm sitting with him!"

"Stop it! Sasuke-kun doesn't want to see your huge forehead so early in the morning! No doubt you're annoying him with how you've interrupted our time together!"

"Shut up, Ino-pig! You're just jealous of our love!"

"HA! Are you trying to make Sasuke-kun lose his breakfast? He would never look at you like that Forehead Girl!"

They were _so annoying_!

The worst part was that he couldn't even tell them to go away. Talking only seemed to encourage them.

Perhaps it was because of his betrothal, but even though they had liked him, they had never acted this crazy in the other time line. It was strange, considering that the first time around he'd actually acknowledged their existence.

It seemed like the ruder he was, the more they fawned over him. Go figure.

Sasuke found himself pinching the bridge of his nose in an effort to get rid of his headache. It was one of his father's favorite gestures. The fact that Ino and Sakura had driven him so far only irritated him more. Next to him, Hinata was hiding her laughter behind her sleeve. At least someone was amused with the situation.

His train of thought was lost when something bright orange plunked itself down on his desk. Naruto was perched in front of the Uchiha, scowling fiercely.

Sasuke was forced to lean backwards to get away from the other boy's ramen-breath. He loved Naruto like he would an annoying little brother, but there were some things he didn't need to know and what his mouth smelled like was one of them.

"Get out of my face."

Sakura immediately chimed in. "Yeah, Naruto! Stop bothering Sasuke-kun!"

"Hmph! I don't get why everyone's so obsessed with you! It's always Sasuke this, Sasuke that! What's so good about you anyway?"

Pushing Naruto's face away, he snorted. "You think I want all these crazy harpies chasing after me? All I want is to be left alone!"

Even with his face mushed to one side, Naruto managed to convey his utter confusion.

"You can have them." Sasuke clarified and shoved Naruto off the desk, sending him tumbling towards the crowd surrounding them.

"Oof!" The blonde haired boy bumped into Sakura's back, which made her collide into Ino face first. Specifically, _lips_ first.

A loud smooching sound filled the suddenly silent classroom.

"Oh no." Hinata whispered, horrified.

"GAAARGH!" Once Ino and Sakura managed to stop gagging in disgust, they turned to face Naruto with the same evil expression.

"_Narutoooo_."

"Prepare to die!"

Once the screaming stopped, Naruto was left in a sad jumble of twisted limbs on the floor. He looked like he'd been run over by a cart. At least the mortified girls had slunk off, leaving Sasuke in peace.

Except now he was feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Oi. Naruto."

The orange bundle groaned in response.

"Still alive, I see."

Despite the pummeling he'd just received, Naruto still had the energy to curse at Sasuke. Clearly he was on the road to recovery.

At least, he_ was _fine, until Iruka heard exactly what kind of language Naruto was teaching the rest of his class and decided to make an example out of him. He dragged his favorite troublemaker up by his ear and then proceeded to bellow into it.

Sasuke ignored the loud lecture on appropriate behavior in favor of teasing Hinata.

He missed her long hair. It was always fun to fiddle with strands of it when he was bored.

Sasuke had to settle for playfully nudging her foot with his under the desk. Hinata blushed and pressed the toe of her sandal against his ankle. The ensuing game of footsie kept them suitably entertained until they were interrupted by Iruka's voice.

"Next, the seventh group! Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura was gleefully sticking her tongue out at a fuming Ino. Naruto, on the other hand, had slumped onto his desk in a fit of depression. Sasuke was supposed to make a three-man team out of this? He massaged the bridge of his nose tiredly.

His headache had returned with a vengeance.

* * *

Lunch was a complete disaster.

Sakura had taken his offhand suggestion of a group lunch as some kind of romantic advance and of course Naruto had thrown a fit. They had spent the entire lunch hour bickering loudly over everything under the sun. The most memorable arguments had been about Naruto's presence, the seating arrangement, and who was going to be the team leader.

Naruto had ended the debate by throwing up on Sasuke.

So here he was, standing in the bathroom in his boxers while he washed his shorts out in the sink. As they were _white_, it wasn't doing him much good.

Finally, when he'd scrubbed until he couldn't scrub anymore, he wrung his shorts out and stuck them under the hand dryer. There was still a stain on the left leg, but there wasn't anything Sasuke could do about it at this point.

He was going to eviscerate Naruto.

Of course, he had to wait for his pants to dry first.

Sasuke leaned against the wall and started counting tiles. When he got to tile 229, the door swung open and Nara Shikamaru ambled in. He could feel the other boy's incredulous stare.

"Do I even want to know?" Shikamaru inquired dryly.

"No."

"That's what I thought."

As soon as he vanished into a cubicle, Sasuke pulled on his damp shorts and booked it out of there. The last thing he needed was smartass comments about the little Uchiha fans sprinkled all over his boxers.

It was embarrassing, but even elite shinobi had laundry days.

Finally having fled the scene of his humiliation, he slowed to a reasonable pace.

Sasuke wished he could just ditch orientation day all together. It was tempting, but his sense of responsibility was too strong. He would just have to grit his teeth and bear it. Somehow, he was going to turn his dysfunctional team into a smoothly oiled machine... later.

He was seriously fed up with them right now.

Of course, there was no telling what those two would get up to if he left them to their own devices. When you combined Sakura's penchant for attracting trouble with Naruto's habit of_ making_ it, they were nothing short of a recipe for disaster. If five years of being Naruto's rival and best friend had taught him anything, it was that the blond's determination was only surpassed by his ingenuity.

Not to mention his twisted sense of humor.

He located them on a bench not far from the academy building.

As he drew closer, Sasuke was startled to discover that he apparently had a new twin brother. The Sasuke-double was blushing as he leaned in to kiss Sakura. The other boy's identity was fairly obvious. Only Naruto had the gall to impersonate him so brazenly.

The _last _thing Sasuke needed was for someone to encourage Sakura in her pursuit of him! Their team dynamic was already screwed up enough without Naruto turning it into some sort of bizarre love triangle. Even though Sasuke was angry enough to spit nails, he knew that Sakura would be a hundred more times effective when it came to knocking sense into the other boy's head.

All he had to do was clue her in.

"Naruto."

"S-Sasuke-kun? Did you just call me...?" Sakura recoiled in horror from the boy who had been about to kiss her.

"Huh? I didn't say anything."

A very awkward silence fell.

Sakura slowly turned her head to see the real Sasuke standing on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. He raised an eyebrow at the look of utter shock on her face.

Suddenly, she swung back around to glare daggers at the boy sweating nervously before her. Sasuke could practically see a lightbulb above her pink head flicker on as she realized she had been duped.

Sakura began to growl.

Naruto, sensing his impending doom, finally dropped the _henge_. He put one arm behind his head and tried to smile winningly."Ehehe... Sakura-chan. I can explain!"

"_Naaaaruuuutooooo_."

"Y-Yeah?"

"_Run_."

He almost made it three feet before Sakura caught up with him. The beating she dealt him made the previous one look like a love-tap.

Sasuke dragged the Naruto-pretzel to the school nurse before making his way back to class. Taking up residence in the back of the room, he began to brood gloomily while he waited for Kakashi to collect Team Seven.

And if he used a tiny bit of killing intent to make everyone else leave him alone it was perfectly understandable.

More than three hours later, Kakashi finally waltzed into the room and received an eraser to the head, courtesy of a miraculously healed Naruto. He was Konoha's number one most surprising ninja for a reason, after all.

Once the chalk dust settled, their lazy bastard of a teacher led the way towards the roof where he expected them to play nice.

Sasuke wasn't buying it.

He still had puke stains on his shorts! There was no force on earth great enough to convince him to tolerate his teammates right now. Naruto's ramen ramblings and Sakura's weird looks when they introduced themselves only reinforced this belief.

Then it was his turn. Oh joy.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like to learn new jutsu. I dislike lots of things." At this, Sasuke looked meaningfully at everyone else before continuing on. "I don't exactly have a hobby, but I train in my spare time. My so-called 'dream' is to avenge my family and to resurrect my clan."

"Okay, that's good. You're all very... interesting." _He thinks we're freaks_, Sasuke mentally translated. He didn't take offense, it was a fair enough assessment.

He ignored the rest of Kakashi's announcement. He'd heard it all before. Kakashi was putting off their test until tomorrow, unlike the rest of the genin groups who had probably already passed or failed the second part of the exam.

Of course, the test was rigged.

All of the genins were being scored on how well they worked together, but only Kakashi's group had been given an exercise that actively encouraged them to compete against one another. It was clear the genin exam was Kakashi's version of a paid vacation. No doubt he was expecting them to fail so he could move on to one of his usual A or S rank missions.

If there was one thing Sasuke detested (although to be honest the list was quite long), it was being dismissed out of hand. He was going to make Kakashi choke on those stupid little bells.

Team Seven was going to pass with flying colors even if it killed them.

* * *

TBC... Thanks to everyone who took the time to review!! It's greatly appreciated!


	4. The New Sannin

TITLE: An Accident of Fate  
RATING: R  
PAIRING: Sasuke/Hinata  
SUMMARY: I took one (comparatively) well-adjusted Uchiha Sasuke, plopped him into the canon Naruto-verse, and threw poor Hinata along for the ride.  
WARNINGS: This story contains sex, violence, bad language, improbable dimension hopping for the sake of my amusement, and lots of jokes at Sasuke's expense. Don't read if any of these things offend you.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. Also, this is not beta-ed. You have been warned. ;)  
A/N: Ah! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write. I had a hard time with Team 7's dynamic and the action scenes. It was pretty difficult to try and keep close to canon while still making the chapter interesting. Hopefully, I managed! This chapter has a serious lack of Hinata, but the next one will more than make up for it.

* * *

Chapter 4: The New Sannin

Five a.m. the next morning found Sasuke standing by himself in a dew drenched field.

His breakfast had consisted of two scrambled eggs and a cup of tea. He hadn't bothered to warn Sakura or Naruto that their teacher would be holding lunch hostage. Hunger could be a powerful motivator. It was also revenge for the vomit stains he'd had to endure yesterday.

He realized he was being petty and he was perfectly okay with that.

Surprisingly, Naruto was the next one to arrive, though his eyes were shut and he was shuffling like an undead thing. Even though his orange jumpsuit was rumpled and his hair stuck up every which way, his Konoha forehead protector was spotless and shining with polish.

Sakura stumbled in five minutes later, looking much neater, but just as sleepy.

It took his teammates half an hour to realize that Kakashi's tardiness wasn't going to be a one time thing. He amused himself by watching their expressions twist with fury as they finally caught on to the obvious. Sakura and Naruto were always so loud, but it meant that their reactions could be really funny on occasion.

"Aw, man! You've got to be kidding me!" Naruto hollered as his outrage swiftly overpowered any lingering drowsiness.

"No, I'm pretty sure this is a habitual thing." Sasuke said as he casually swept his eyes over their surroundings. It was still fairly dark and there wasn't much to see, but it couldn't hurt to familiarize himself with the terrain.

There was a meadow with three training logs, a lightly wooded forest, some underbrush, and a river. There was also a memorial stone nearby, but aside from that, it could have been any of the other training grounds in Konoha.

"Um, Sasuke-kun, what do you think the survival training will be like?" Sakura asked, biting her lip uncertainly

He took a moment to carefully choose his words.

Sasuke knew people listened when he talked, that his words held weight even with those who disliked him. Naruto was stubborn and proud, but even he had unbent enough to follow Sasuke's lead when it really counted. This was his chance to draw the three of them together and to make them a unit rather than a collection of clashing personalities.

In theory, they were the perfect team; a genius with a frighteningly powerful bloodline limit, a jinchuriki with an insane amount of stamina and healing capabilities, and a girl with potential chakra control to rival Tsunada-hime herself. Unfortunately, in reality, they were more likely to take each other out than to actually complete a mission successfully.

"Kakashi will probably be testing us on ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. We're on a team for a reason though, so I don't think it matters if we're proficient in them all or not, as long as we show a basic understanding of each subject and a willingness to work together."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

"Part of that was my fault." Sasuke admitted reluctantly. "I shouldn't have let things get so out of hand. If we let our pride get in the way of our teamwork we don't deserve to be genin. Once we pass this test we're going to be real shinobi and we'll have to depend on each other during missions. If we don't, we'll die."

It was the unvarnished truth, but it irked him to admit it. Sasuke hated talking about personal things, but this was too important. It was inevitable that Team 7 would eventually end up in a life or death situation and the more trust there was between them, the more likely it was they would survive. His teammates were useless and irritating right now, but he couldn't let harm come to them.

Naruto and Sakura were still staring at him wide eyes and open mouths.

It caused him a strange sort of pain to look into their innocent faces. They had never been touched by death. They had no idea what it meant to be shinobi, what it meant to be a living weapon in the service of the village.

Sasuke looked down for a moment. They were young and immature, but they were still his comrades. "So we're in agreement then? No matter what, the three of us will work together to pass this test."

Sakura beamed at him. "Sasuke-kun, I promise to do my best!" It was altogether unsurprising that she had backed him up. Hopefully, her support would be enough to convince their most skeptical member.

Naruto was squinting at them suspiciously, but after a moment he squared his shoulders and nodded firmly in agreement. "I still think you're a jerk, but that Kakashi guy is even more annoying than you so I guess I'm in! Let's do this!"

"HELL YEAH!" Sakura's shout was so enthusiastic that it had Sasuke's eardrums throbbing. She blushed when the boys jumped back to look at her askance. "Ahem. I mean, go team!"

Naruto was smiling widely. "Sakura-chan, does this mean that you-"

"_No_."

"Don't hit him. We're going to need him in one piece."

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun!"

"Why are you apologizing to_ him_?! I'm the one with the bruise!"

Sasuke cut in before the argument could get out of hand. "Since Kakashi's not here yet we should take advantage of his absence and check our equipment. What did you bring?"

"Just the usual stuff." Naruto shrugged, still rubbing his sore ear.

"Give it."

"Wha-?"

Sasuke impatiently yanked Naruto's shuriken pouch off his belt and peered inside it.

"HEY! That's MINE! Give it back, you bastard!"

He easily avoided the punch aimed at his head. Did Naruto always have to overreact so much? Right. Silly question. "Calm down. I'm just looking."

At least the blond been sensible enough to pack all his kunai and shuriken, even if they were dull and worn down.

Sasuke took one of the kunai out and flipped it end over end a few times. The balance was way off. Not only was it heavier on one side, but the handle was frayed as well. It certainly explained why the other boy always came in last at target practice.

It was a wonder Naruto hadn't stabbed himself in the foot with these things. Of course, that may have been the point. Fucking prejudiced villagers.

The pouch also had a handful of smoke bombs and a blank scroll, though how Naruto planned to use it was anyone's guess.

Sasuke packed the equipment away efficiently, making a mental note to buy Naruto some decent supplies. There was probably some holiday coming up that Sasuke could use as an excuse and if that didn't work he could just make one up. For someone who spent a lot of time fibbing, Naruto could be surprisingly gullible.

"Sakura?"

"Here. I didn't really know what to bring, so I packed it all."

Yeah, that much he could tell at a glance. The small bag was bulging dangerously. She had a full set of kunai and shuriken, three scrolls, some spare bandages, a new case of soldier pills, and... a hairbrush and a makeup compact? What the hell?

"Uhh... it's for the mirror... yeah." Sakura mumbled awkwardly, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

Right. Sasuke wasn't even going to touch that one. He tossed both pouches back to their respective owners and folded his arms over his chest.

"We're all set. Between the three of us we should have everything we need."

Sasuke's gear consisted of a full set of kunai, several shuriken, ten exploding tags, a small coil of rope, and a spare roll of ninja wire. He did have a reel of wire hidden in each of his armbands, but since it was a requirement for several of his favorite _Katon _techniques he liked to carry extra. Not that he was going to be setting anyone on fire today, but he could always hope.

The sun was already peeking over the horizon, but Sasuke knew that his team was still in for a long wait. It was just like Kakashi to want them disgruntled and off balance from the beginning. Sasuke could understand his thinking, but he didn't have to like it considering he had several hours of twiddling his thumbs in store for him.

"This is soooo boring! Gah! I think I'm just gonna go back to sleep! Poke me if Kakashi-sensei shows up, will you?"

"Sure."

Naruto sprawled out on the ground carelessly. In minutes he was snoring.

That was fine with Sasuke. It only made sense to catch up on missed sleep. Unfortunately, it effectively left him alone with his self-proclaimed number one fangirl. She seemed to have realized it as well, because she had her hands clasped under her chin and she was looking at him with bright eyes.

Great. Just great.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and looked up to gauge the position of the sun. He couldn't help himself from silently urging it to move faster.

No such luck.

"Isn't it such a lovely morning?"

He merely grunted in response in an attempt discourage Sakura from conversation. He didn't want her adoration or her silly confessions of love. Sasuke had no desire to break her heart, but that was what would happen if she persisted in pretending they were destined to be together.

In all honesty, Sakura would probably run away screaming if she had even the slightest idea of just how violent and tragic his past was. It would definitely get her off his back, but it would also make working with her difficult if she thought he was going to go insane over Itachi at any moment.

She spent the next hour and a half stealing little glances at him. When he finally looked over and caught her at it she squealed in excitement. That was it, he couldn't take it any more.

"Look, could you not do that? I don't have any romantic feelings for you. Just because we were put on the same team doesn't mean I'll be your boyfriend and if you keep acting like a lovesick moron every time I look in your general direction you'll only be a burden. Understand?"

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's face began to crumple up as tears threatened. Okay, maybe that hadn't been the most tactful thing to say, but it was something Sakura needed to hear if she was ever going to become a capable ninja. Did she have to sniffle so pathetically? It was making him feel guilty.

He hated dealing with crying girls!

"What's the twenty-fifth principal of shinobi conduct, Sakura?"

"To never show your feelings, no matter the circumstances." She wiped her eyes hastily before staring down at her feet. "You're right, Sasuke-kun. I know I don't make a very good ninja. At the academy, I had the top scores for all the theoretical stuff, but whenever we were tested on anything _real_ I barely scraped by. Ino-pig_ always_ beat me in our practice matches! I'm just... average. I don't have a bloodline limit or any special clan jutsus. Even my parents didn't expect me to pass the genin test."

"Then you'll just have to prove them wrong, won't you? You have to have something to fight for. Even Naruto has his dream of becoming Hokage."

Sasuke suspected his little inspirational speech sounded like crap, but it did it's job. Sakura was nodding firmly in determination, despite her damp eyes. "I'll try my hardest to pass the survival training... even if Kakashi-sensei made it sound really scary."

He gave her a thoughtful sidelong glance before nodding to himself. Sakura seemed honestly upset about not having any special techniques and he had plenty to spare. "Want me to teach you something that will help?"

"Really? Thank you, Sasuke-kun!"

"Don't worry about it. There's a genjutsu you can use to hide your presence. It doesn't take up much chakra, but you have to concentrate or the illusion will fail." In other words, it was perfect for Sakura. "Here, watch my hands."

He went through the seals several times before he was sure she'd memorized their order correctly. Just as he suspected, Sakura did well with the jutsu. She managed to make a good portion of her lower body blend into the background on just her second try.

"Good job. Now practice that until you have it perfected."

"I will!"

Sasuke's shoulders relaxed a notch when she turned her attention away from him to focus on the camouflage genjutsu.

He had the feeling he had been too soft with her, but he couldn't bring himself to completely crush her feelings for him. That would come soon enough anyway. Sakura was a smart girl; she would eventually realize that she was better off being his friend. Sasuke had droves of shallow admirers, but friends were much rarer.

Sasuke hoped it would be enough for her.

"Hey, uh, Sasuke?"

"Finally awake then?"

Naruto nodded and grinned, a little abashed, and popped up from where he had been sleeping. "You think you could, uh, teach me that jutsu?"

Sasuke gave him a measuring glance. "I could, but it wouldn't do any good."

"Why, you...!"

"You have too much chakra. It would just backfire like your bunshin. You might be able to do it if we had a few weeks to teach you how to conserve and control chakra, but we don't. The test is today. You'd be better off focusing on your taijutsu. You tend to pick that up pretty fast. I saw your practice matches at the academy. Even though technically they weren't legal, some of your moves were really interesting and unpredictable."

Naruto nodded rapidly, puffing up with pride. "That's right! That's why I'm Konoha's future Hokage!"

Sakura had managed to make herself properly invisible, but if the scoffing noise coming from her direction was any indication she was probably rolling her eyes.

Frankly, Sasuke was inclined to agree with her. Naruto was unreasonably proud for someone who couldn't even manage a single regular bunshin. Power was nothing without control.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Naruto. At your level, you barely qualify for genin. Even your basic stances are sloppy. You waste too much chakra and you spend so much time showing off that you miss most of your opponent's openings. A lot of times you just charge with no thought to strategy. You have no subtlety."

"What the hell would you know about it?!" Naruto had bolted to his feet and was glaring at him fiercely. "I'll show you no subtlety!" Sasuke had to remind himself to be mature and not to snap back. He knew the other boy's temper was just a defense mechanism.

Of course, Naruto attacked him before he could think up a properly diplomatic response to diffuse the tension. Sasuke ducked his punch and grabbed the orange clad arm, using Naruto's momentum to throw him roughly over his shoulder.

"Oof!"

He crossed his arms and looked down at the blond sprawled at his feet. "Are you finished?"

"NO! I haven't even started, bastard! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Sasuke stumbled back as Naruto threw himself at his legs. The fight that followed was hardly a challenge to Sasuke, in fact, it was more like a playful tussle. On his part at least. The screamed death threats implied that Naruto was taking it a bit more seriously.

"Ow! No biting!" He clamped his foot down on Naruto's head and squinted at the teeth marks on his left hand. Great, now he probably had rabies.

"Pffffh!!" When Naruto began to thrash for air, Sasuke let the other boy up enough for him to spit out a few clumps of dirt. "Get off me, asshole!"

"No. You'll just attack me again."

"AAARRGH!! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!!"

He put more weight on his foot, driving Naruto's face into the earth again.

A bored voice cut in. "Please don't suffocate your teammate. Do you have any idea how much paperwork I'd have to do if you killed him?"

"YOU'RE LATE!!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison. Naruto's face was streaked with dirt and his hair was mussed from Sasuke's sandal, but other than that he was none the worse for wear. Sasuke was far too skilled to _accidentally_ damage him.

"Ahh, well, this black cat crossed my path and-"

"GRRR!!"

"Now, now, don't get testy. You guys are so uncute."

Last time Sasuke had checked, cuteness wasn't a requirement for becoming a ninja, but he really didn't want to encourage Kakashi by acknowledging his strange statements.

"Can we just get on with it?" He prodded.

"Sure, sure. Let me just set this alarm clock for noon. Your task today is to steal these two bells," Kakashi paused to jingle them teasingly, "before that alarm goes off. If you fail in your appointed task, you won't get any lunch. I'll not only tie you to a post, but I'll eat it right in front of you! Sounds fun, right?"

Naruto and Sakura's stomachs seemed to disagree.

"Wait a minute! Why are there only two bells?"

"Whichever one of you doesn't get a bell will be tied to the log and you'll be sent back to the academy. Of course, it's entirely possible that all three of you will fail. To even things out, I'll let you use your shuriken. You won't be able to get a bell unless you come at me with intent to kill."

Sasuke knew that much was true. Copy-nin Kakashi was no ordinary jounin. If capturing the bells had been the _real_ test, Naruto and Sakura would have been screwed. Of course, the other two were completely unaware of what they were up against.

"But you'll be in danger, _sensei_!" Sakura exclaimed worriedly.

"Yeah! You couldn't even dodge that blackboard eraser!"

Kakashi gave them a blank look. "Well, you know what they say. Those with the least talent often bark the loudest. We'll just ignore the dead last, shall we? You may begin when I say-"

Naruto was already charging, his kunai aimed at Kakashi's stomach.

"Slow down. I haven't said start yet." The jounin drawled. He was holding Naruto in place by the head, his arm twisted around so that the kunai was pointed at the back of his student's neck.

Naruto was so impulsive. It was embarrassing.

"Well, at least you're prepared to come at me with intent to kill now. I guess you guys aren't so bad after all." Kakashi chuckled. "Okay, let's get this thing started. Get ready..."

"GO!"

All three of them darted away in search of cover.

Sasuke settled himself in a tree a fair distance away from the clearing they had been standing in. Basic instinct prevented most humans from looking up for predators, which meant there was a larger chance of him slipping past an enemy-nin's notice in this position. Of course, he knew better than to think Kakashi would fall for something that simple, but it would lead him to believe Sasuke's skill level was only slightly higher than the average genin's.

A quick sweep and he located Sakura hiding under a bush. She hadn't bothered to use the jutsu he had taught her, either to conserve her chakra or because she just hadn't thought of it. At least she had bothered to hide, because Naruto sure as hell hadn't.

He was standing in front of Kakashi as bold as you please.

Sasuke settled in to watch the show. He could collect the other two afterwards and browbeat them into working together. It would be much easier once Kakashi took their trouble-making teammate down a peg or two.

He spent so much time laughing at Kakashi's One Thousand Years of Pain technique that he almost missed Naruto getting dunked in the river and the shadow clone free for all that followed. Kakashi used the _kawamiri no jutsu_ to escape, quickly planting a trap while Naruto was still occupied with fighting himself.

Sure enough, as soon as the blond haired boy noticed the bell glinting in the afternoon sun, he leapt on it.

Sasuke sighed as his teammate's indignant shouts drifted over to him.

The idiot was hanging upside down from the tree as Kakashi calmly collected the bell and proceeded to lecture him on exactly the same things Sasuke had chided him for earlier that morning. Hopefully, hearing it twice would help the information sink into Naruto's impossibly thick skull.

Sasuke sat up quickly as soon as he noticed Kakashi deliberately lowering his guard.

It was obviously another test. Well, who was he to disappoint?

All of his kunai and shuriken unerringly hit their target. Kakashi jerked as the weapons imbedded themselves in his body, blood flying everywhere. Naruto started freaking out, unaware that Kakashi had used the _kawamiri no jutsu_ again.

Sasuke was moving before the log hit the ground. He was fairly sure that his sensei would leave their confrontation for last, but there was no sense taking chances. He doubled back as soon as Kakashi was a safe distance away. Sasuke took his time gathering his weapons from the shattered log while Naruto hollered at him and generally made an ass of himself.

"Stop smirking and get me down from here!"

"Only if you shut up and follow my lead. There's no way you can get that bell on your own. We're supposed to work together, remember?"

Naruto grumbled and cursed, but finally gave in... after he managed to get himself free and promptly fall for Kaakashi's _second _trap.

"Come on. We've wasted enough time here. You need to make a few kage bunshin and have them _henge_ into me." Sasuke was perfectly capable of preforming the jutsu himself, but it would drain most of his chakra and he had the feeling he would be needing it.

"Why?"

"To distract Kakashi while we go and collect Sakura."

Before Naruto could question him again, a shrill scream echoed through the forest.

"Sakura-chan!!"

"Wait! Don't forget the kage bunshin."

"Oh right."

Sasuke sighed. It was like trying to herd cats.

They found Sakura unconscious in a shaded meadow. He hung back and let Naruto fuss over her, but it made no difference. As soon as her eyes popped open she leapt for Sasuke with open arms. Only a quick _kawamiri _with a certain blond kept her from latching on to him.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted in glee before hugging her tightly.

"Wh-what?! You're not Sasuke-kun! Let me go!" No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pry him off. Naruto, who was nuzzling her shoulder, hardly seemed to notice her efforts to escape. A few bonks on the head finally earned Sakura her freedom.

Sasuke could only roll his eyes at the spectacle they made. "Are you two finished wasting our time? Kakashi's probably hunting down Naruto's shadow clones right now, but that won't keep him occupied for long. We need to come up with a strategy."

Sakura was shaking her head wildly, her pink hair flying everywhere. "No! He's too strong! There's no way we can beat him."

"Sakura-chan, it's too early to give up now!"

"We can win if we play dirty. He's a jounin. That means he has tons of experience and a variety of high level techniques so just ganging up on him won't help us at all. An ambush would be our best bet."

Naruto grinned ferally and cracked his knuckles. "Ha! Now we're talking!"

"How will that help? Kakashi-sensei doesn't have any weaknesses!"

Sasuke smirked. "Yes, he does. It's just lucky for us that we have someone specialized in a certain type of jutsu on our team."

"But, I don't understand..." Sakura scratched at her cheek, her brows furrowed thoughtfully. "Do you mean your_ katon_ jutsus? Sasuke-kun, you're awesome, but do you really think something like that will work against a jounin?"

He gestured them both closer and then bent down to whisper his plan in their ears. Sakura collapsed in shock at his suggestion. Beside her, Naruto began to convulse with laughter.

Sasuke flashed them both a rare smile before sticking his hand out in front of them. "So, are you guys in?"

"You can count on it! We're gonna beat the hell out of him!" Naruto's hand looked startlingly tan against the Uchiha's paler skin. "Come on, Sakura-chan, you too!"

"All right. It's crazy, but it just might work." She placed her smaller hand on top of theirs. "From here on out, the three of us have to work as one!"

"Yeah!"

Sasuke smirked a little in response. They'd made the same promise this morning, but now it felt real. They meant it this time.

They were a team.

* * *

Sasuke was sweating heavily and his breath was coming in quick pants despite how he had tried to conserve his energy. Satisfied with the false trails he'd set down, he finally backtracked towards the river. He flipped off a branch and landed on the water, his footsteps splashing rapidly over the surface as he ran towards the clearing with the memorial stone where his teammates were anxiously awaiting him.

It had been his job to draw Kakashi out while Naruto and Sakura set up the trap. Even with his knowledge as a jounin, it had taken every ounce of Sasuke's concentration to keep the older man from catching him.

Even now he could feel Kakashi closing in.

There had been several close calls, but Sasuke's cunning and his sensei's overconfidence had kept things from getting too messy. He could only hope that Naruto hadn't screwed up his part of the plan. Everything hinged on the blond boy's timing.

Like any other seasoned ninja, years of experience in the field had given him a sixth sense about approaching enemies and right now it was going haywire. That was the only reason he managed to avoid the nin-dog as it shot out of the water towards him.

It was the one with sunglasses. Sasuke hated that dog. The one time Kakashi had asked him to walk his pets, the mangy furball had bitten him.

If Kakashi was using his summons to track him down, he couldn't be too far behind. Damn it! Sasuke shunted chakra towards his eyes, activating his Sharingan without a second thought. He charged the overgrown poodle at a swift run. It was simple enough to avoid the sharp teeth aiming for his thigh and the blunt claws slashing at his shin. The hard kick he landed on its rib cage managed to propel the canine into the air.

Sasuke landed several more blows and ended the combo with an axe kick on it's back.

"SHISHI RENDAN!"

The summoned dog hit the water hard before bursting into a cloud of smoke. Sasuke landed easily and took a moment to check his surroundings, grimacing when he felt a flare of Kakashi's ki not too far from where he was. There was no way his sensei had not noticed the backwash of chakra from his dispersed summons.

It was almost time.

He leapt onto the riverbank and darted through the underbrush towards the bright flare of energy that was Naruto. Kakashi was headed straight for him, but it really wasn't a problem. Sasuke was sure that his teacher had figured out that he was setting a trap, but he doubted that Kakashi suspected the other two genin were involved, not when his teacher had already pegged him as a genius loner. Kakashi had too many preconceptions, having been a young arrogant genius himself once upon a time. He was right to a certain extent. If Sasuke didn't have the maturity to know better he probablywould have labeled Sakura and Naruto as dead weight and left it at that.

Sasuke did know better though and even if his young teammates were dead weight right now, they wouldn't always be. For the time being, he could shoulder their burden until they were strong enough to carry it on their own.

He reached the clearing they had agreed to meet at in record time. Naruto was hiding in the bushes to the left while Sakura was using her new genjutsu to hide behind a tree. Naruto was rustling about in a very obvious manner, but at least he was attempting to be stealthy this time. Sasuke gave them the signal and darted up into a nearby tree.

He didn't have enough chakra to reliably use the camouflage genjutsu, so he slowed his breathing and muffled his chakra. Sasuke settled behind a leafy branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree in the hopes that it's faint energy would overshadow his own. There was a trick to hiding in plain sight, of falling into a state of complete stillness that made it ridiculously easy to be overlooked. Hinata was better at it than he was, but Sasuke good enough at it to escape Kakashi's distracted notice.

And with Naruto around, there was little doubt that he_ would _be distracted.

Sasuke smirked triumphantly when his teacher cautiously emerged from woods. Kakashi had officially taken the bait. Now it was time to reel him in.

Kakashi didn't even bother to look surprised when Naruto leapt out of the bush and planted himself in front of the jounin. His expression was almost theatrically long-suffering.

"HA! Prepare to be defeated, Kakashi-sensei!"

"You again? Haven't you learned your lesson?"

"The only thing I've learned is that you're annoying!" It wasn't exactly the best comeback ever, but Sasuke was willing to take what he could get. He was just happy Naruto hadn't made an even bigger fool of himself.

"Is that all? You're not a very good student, are you? So far, all you've done is waste my time and bore me." Kakashi turned his attention to his vest pocket and fished out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise before burying his nose in the orange book dismissively.

That was all Sasuke needed to see to know that his presence had truly been overlooked. Kakashi wouldn't have risked it if he suspected Sasuke was still hanging around, not after the run-around he'd been given. It galled him that he'd apparently been written off as a chicken who was too afraid of confrontation to actually stand his ground and set up a decent trap, but it did give them the advantage.

"Yeah? Well, this should get your attention! Now, Sakura-chan!"

As soon as she dropped the illusion hiding Naruto's clones, a chorus of high pitched voices cried out. "HAREM NO JUTSU!"

"Ooooh, Kakashi-sama!"

"Kakashi-kun!"

"Take me, you stud!"

Hatake Kakashi dropped his copy of Icha Icha paradise in shock as the horde of buxom blondes leapt on him eagerly. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his nosebleed was noticeable even from behind the mask, and most importantly his guard was finally down.

Sasuke kicked away from tree he had been using for cover to land behind Kakashi.

The movement snapped his teacher out of his disorientation, but it was too late. Sasuke's attack landed before he could do more than turn his head. Despite the swift blow Kakashi received to the back of his neck, he just barely managed to stay conscious.

Sasuke avoided his clumsy counter-attack and made sure the second hit had much more force behind it. He stepped back as the jounin staggered before dropping heavily to the ground.

"YEAH! We did it!! We ROCK!"

"HELL YEAH!"

It had been almost too easy. There was very little satisfaction in taking down the infamous Copy-Nin Kakashi because he was a drooling pervert, but at Team 7's current level it was really the only way they could have managed it.

Oh well. _Sexy no jutsu_ or not, it was still an impressive win for three rookies fresh out of the academy. Kakashi was probably going to die of embarrassment once this got out.

"So... what do we do with him now?"

"We're going to give him a taste of his own medicine." Smirking, Sasuke retrieved the rope from his pack and began to uncoil it.

* * *

Sasuke was disgusted to discover that the lunch his team had so valiantly fought for was barely palatable. The rice was overcooked, the vegetables were tasteless, and there weren't even any tomatoes. He had the dark suspicion that the cooking was Kakashi's. Scowling, he removed the lid from the bento and swiftly dumped half of his lunch onto it.

"Here, Naruto."

"Hey, thanks! Itadakimasu!"

Sasuke shot him an annoyed look and quickly turned his attention back to his meal when Naruto started pigging out. He had to move away a little to avoid flying bits of food, since Naruto had been forced to eat without chopsticks and was making a complete mess of it.

"Sasuke-kun, you barely left any for yourself! Here, have some of mine."

"I'm fine. I ate breakfast."

"But still! You worked so hard, you must be hungry. You can have my egg too. Naruto! Watch your manners! Geez, you're getting rice all over the place! I think you're getting more of it on your shirt than actually inside you! Here, I'm on a diet anyway."

"Sakura-chan! I love youuuu!"

By the time Sakura had finished donating bits of her lunch to the boys, the three of them had roughly equal portions.

"Maybe we should have saved some for Kakashi-sensei." She pondered aloud, turning to stare at their sensei.

They had firmly lashed him to the post behind them. Naruto had wanted to take it a step further and remove his mask, but Sasuke had quickly vetoed that idea. Kakashi was going to be hellbent on revenge as it was, there was no need to give him a reason to be _creative _about it. All shinobi were fiercely protective of their privacy, but Kakashi took it to a whole new level.

"He'll be fine. Jounin are trained to go days without food. A missed meal is nothing to him."

"Wow, really? That's kind of cool."

"I'm glad you think so."

Sasuke froze and then turned slowly. What little was left of the rope was loosely wrapped around the base of the training log. Kakashi was standing several paces away, looking none too pleased.

"KAKA-SENSEI?? B-but we tied you up!"

"Yes, I noticed that. The bells?"

Sasuke fished them out of his pocket and tossed them to his sensei. "Catch."

Kakashi plucked both bells out of the air and bent down to smile sadistically at his pupils. He was using a mixture of killing intent and genjutsu to make the air around him heavy and oppressive. Even Sasuke found it difficult to breathe with their teacher looming ominously over them like that. For an instant, he thought that he had misjudged Kakashi and that they were all going to die horrifically painful deaths.

"I want all three of you to report directly to the Hokage..."

He wasn't going to send them back to the academy, was he? That was worse than death! There was no way Sasuke was going to wait half a year to take the genin test again!

"...and tell him that you passed!"

"Whaaaat??" Naruto squawked, falling over out of sheer surprise.

Sakura exhaled in relief and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whew!"

It was such a small step, becoming genin, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel a fierce sense of pride and accomplishment. He had managed to convince Naruto and Sakura to work together _and _he'd bested the Yondaime's student. That was nothing to scoff at.

Kakashi turned and even with the mask obscuring his expression Sasuke could see the humor drain out of him. He was staring at the memorial stone.

"All three of you have the potential to become great shinobi... because you managed to rise above your petty disagreements and work as a team. That's what it means to be a shinobi of the leaf. A ninja who fails to complete his mission is trash, but anyone who refuses to take care of their comrades is worse than trash.

"I have to admit that I'm surprised you guys figured out that this test was designed to pit you against each other to see which of you could put aside your personal interests for the sake of the mission. Even if one of you is remarkably slow."

"HEY! Why are you looking at me?!"

"Because on real missions, you don't get second chances. You ran around on your own, without any regard to your teammates. Recklessness like that endangers your mission and your comrades."

Kakashi blurred and reappeared behind Sakura, resting the blade of his kunai lightly against her neck. "It's a common tactic to take hostages. You'll be risking your life out in the field. It's important to be strong as an individual, but if you can't work seamlessly in a group, then you're better off quitting right now before you get yourself or your teammates killed. Do you understand?"

He pushed Sakura away gently. She panted and clutched at her throat dramatically, though Kakashi had been careful not to so much as scratch her.

"You can't play around when people's lives are at stake. You see that stone with all the names carved onto it? All of those names are ninjas recognized as heroes of this village."

Naruto's eyes lit up and he latched onto the word hero with a fervor. "Hey, hey! That's what I'll become! A hero! I want my name on that thing!"

Sasuke had to repress a shiver. He wasn't superstitious, but hearing Naruto say those words sent a chill up his spine. It was entirely possible that some day Naruto's name_ would _be carved on that stone.

"These aren't just normal heroes. They're all heroes who were killed in action. They died protecting our village. This a memorial... my best friend's name is carved here."

_Uchiha Obito_.

He had heard the story from his father, he knew the price Kakashi had paid for his lone Sharingan eye. Kakashi had never said that name aloud, but Sasuke heard the echoes of it every time his teacher looked at him and saw another dark haired boy with red eyes.

Kakashi shook himself out of his depression and faked a wide smile, his eyes curving above his mask.

"You know, you guys are the first ones to ever pass my test? The others were selfish idiots who did whatever I said. You started off slow, but once you got it together, the three of you completely surpassed my expectations. So, congratulations, you passed! Staring tomorrow, you are all genin on Team 7 and under my command!"

"YEAH! I'm a ninja now! I'm awesome!"

Naruto's cheers were ended abruptly when Sakura's fist came down on his head.

"Don't you mean _we're _awesome? You didn't do it by yourself!"

"Haha! I know, I know! Your genjutsu was perfect, Sakura-chan! We totally took Kakashi-sensei by surprise!"

"Ah, well, Sasuke-kun was the one who taught it to me in the first place! And he led Kakashi-sensei into the trap we set up."

"Hmph!" Naruto crossed his arms and turned away sharply, obviously offended at the mention of Sasuke's existence.

That was perfectly fine with him. Sasuke had things to do anyway and they didn't include sitting around listening to his teammates squabbling about him.

"H-hey, Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura skipped over, her hands folded behind her as she leaned into his personal space. He guessed she was trying to be cute, but mostly it looked like she was about to trip and fall on her face. Sasuke actually found all of her yelling and hitting more tolerable, because it felt more genuine to him.

"I'm going to the Hokage tower like Kakashi told us to."

"Wait up for me, Sasuke-kun! I'll come too!"

"Just don't walk off like that, bastard! You could at least say bye or something!" Naruto snarled before turning to grin at the pink-haired girl trailing after Sasuke. "Hey, Sakura-chan!! After this do you want to go on a walk with me?"

"Ha! Dream on, Naruto!"

Glancing back, Sasuke was unsurprised to see that their teacher was still standing in front of the memorial stone. Kakashi was watching the three of them walk away with a thoughtful look in his eye.

Sasuke turned his attention back to the road and slipped his hands into his pockets. He took a moment to enjoy the sunshine warming his face and hair while Naruto and Sakura bickered back and forth on either side of him. In a minute or two, he would have to worry about reporting to the Hokage, the grocery shopping he needed to do, and hiring someone to give him an estimate for the repairs needed on the Uchiha district.

For right now though, he was content.

* * *

TBC... Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!


End file.
